Based in Half Moon Bay, California, the distillery takes its inspiration from the community, landscape, and agricultural abundance that surround it. Rather than building a portfolio around a single spirit or historical recipe, Jettywave has set out to capture the character of Northern California through a diverse range of small-batch spirits, each rooted in local ingredients and a strong sense of place.

The project itself grew from an unlikely conversation.

During the pandemic, friends Mishelle and David Westendorf, Tanya Slye and her husband, together with Lucy Gillies, began discussing the possibility of buying a distillery. Between them, they brought experience in marketing, product development, logistics, sustainable agriculture, and landscape design. They also shared a passion for cooking, entertaining, and craft beverages. What began as an ambitious idea eventually became Jettywave Distillery, with the founders opening not only a distillery but also hospitality venues in Half Moon Bay, while continuing their full-time careers.

Image: Co-Founders (L-R): Tanya Slye, Lucy Gillies and Mishelle & David Westendorf.

From the beginning, locality became the defining principle.

Jettywave focuses on locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, producing small-batch gin, bourbon, American single malt whiskey, absinthe, vodka, liqueurs, and seasonal releases that reflect Northern California's agricultural diversity. According to the distillery, every spirit is intended to express the region's ingredients, climate, and community rather than simply reproduce established styles.

Image: Jettywave Distillery and Head Distiller, Blake Kelleher. Source: Jettywave Distillery

Nowhere is that philosophy more evident than in the distillery's flagship California Botanical Gin.

Rather than relying solely on traditional gin botanicals, co-founder Tanya Slye developed a recipe that incorporates ingredients closely associated with California. Alongside juniper, coriander, and black pepper are fresh Meyer lemons, shiso leaves, ginger, pistachios, and nasturtium blossoms harvested from the distillery's own garden. The botanicals are distilled using a combination of maceration and vapour infusion, allowing more delicate ingredients to retain their aromatic character while creating a layered and distinctive flavour profile.

Image: California Botanical Gin. Source: Jettywave Distillery

The same attention to provenance extends to the whiskey programme.

Jettywave's Small Batch Bourbon is produced using California-grown corn sourced from Adam's Grain in Woodland and malted barley from Admiral Maltings in Alameda. Maturation takes place in small American oak barrels, with careful monitoring to suit the cool coastal climate of Half Moon Bay. According to head distiller Blake Kelleher, the region's relatively stable temperatures influence the way the spirit develops in cask, requiring a different maturation approach than distilleries operating in warmer environments.

Kelleher, who previously served as head distiller at Seven Stills in San Francisco, joined Jettywave to expand both the distillery's technical capabilities and its portfolio. His arrival marked an important step in the company's evolution, bringing additional expertise to a team already committed to expressing California through craft distillation.

Recognition has followed.

At the USA Spirits Ratings, Jettywave has received awards across multiple years, reflecting the breadth of its portfolio rather than the success of a single product. Among them is a Silver Medal at the 2025 USA Spirits Ratings for Jettywave Small Batch Absinthe, which the judges described as displaying aromas of anise, fennel, marjoram, citrus peel, and earthy musk, leading to a smooth herbal palate with a clean finish and delicate bitterness.

Image: 2025 USA Spirits Ratings Winners: Jettywave Bourbon Barrel Orange Liqueur and Jettywave Small Batch Absinthe.

Visitors to Jettywave encounter a distillery that places hospitality alongside production. Cocktails are prepared using herbs harvested directly from the surrounding gardens, while experimental projects continue to explore new expressions of California ingredients. Among these are house bitters and limited-edition spirits created with locally foraged botanicals, reinforcing the distillery's close relationship with its immediate environment.

That commitment to transparency and regional sourcing has become one of Jettywave's defining characteristics. The founders have consistently positioned the distillery around the belief that spirits should communicate where they come from and the people who produce them. Rather than treating provenance as a marketing concept, they have built it into the sourcing of grain, the selection of botanicals, and the development of every new release.

For bartenders, Jettywave offers something increasingly valuable: spirits with a clear sense of origin. Whether working with California Botanical Gin, Small Batch Bourbon, or Absinthe, hospitality professionals are pouring products that tell a distinctly regional story, one shaped by coastal agriculture, local craftsmanship, and a willingness to experiment.

Image: Jettywave Spirits. Source: Jettywave Distillery

In a craft spirits landscape where authenticity is often claimed but not always demonstrated, Jettywave Distillery has chosen to let Northern California speak through the bottle. From Meyer lemons and shiso leaves to locally grown grain and coastal maturation, the distillery continues to build a portfolio that reflects the landscape it calls home.

For a producer inspired by the meeting point of land and sea, that sense of place may ultimately become its greatest signature.

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